This invention relates generally to a system for coordinating the communication of data to mobile users, and more particularly a multi-tiered, modular, distributed, Internet computing architecture that integrates data communication between data sources and mobile devices.
The year 2000 marks the rapid expansion of the enterprise across multiple boundaries. According to Cahners In-Stat Group (Facts and Stats for the Enterprise Market), large firms are struggling to manage growing numbers of mobile workers, remote branch offices and telecommuters. By the year 2004, it is expected that the average large corporation will support approximately 153 remote branch offices and 660 telecommuters. In order to support the growing number of mobile workers and improve their productivity, more large companies are supporting the use of wireless phones and other mobile devices. By 2004, large firms are expected to employ more than 29 million wireless-enabled workers. Clearly there is a need for enterprises to embrace the convergence of the Internet with wireless technologies and develop strong mobile data strategies.
The convergence of wireless technologies with the Internet has driven a proliferation of mobile computing devices and, subsequently, will enable more mobile users to be productive, and profitable, while working away from the office. The Yankee Group (Wireless Data: Hope after Hypexe2x80x94extract from Interactive Week, 6th Dec. 1999) estimates that the total number of mobile data users will grow to 21.3 MM by 2001 and 50 MM by 2004. META Group estimates that within three to five years, 80% of knowledge workers will employ companion-computing devices like cellular phones and PDAs. This year alone, according to Cahners In-Stat Group, more than 13 million enterprise employees will use wireless phones and other devices.
Mobile professionals are an integral part of the enterprise and the current climate demands, xe2x80x9canywhere accessxe2x80x9d to enterprise and personal data. Unfortunately, mobile professionals are armed with many devices to access, manage and communicate information.
To remain competitive, enterprises need to establish mobile data strategies. Enterprises cite increased productivity and increased efficiency as the main benefits of implementing wireless data strategies. (Cahners In-Stat Group, Wireless Data Market Segmentation Forecasts, Rebecca S. Dierks, November 1999) To reap these rewards, mobile users need access to productivity applications that combine enterprise data derived from corporate directories, calendars and email with personal data such as personal directories, public internet data such as location-based services, maps, yellow and white pages with communication services such as email, voice activated dialing, remote printing, alerts and notifications. The solution for integrating these services must be cost effective in terms of both time and money, low maintenance, secure and in compliance with open standards
Early mobile data strategies evolved around the use of synchronization technology in conjunction with laptops and PDAs.
Later technology has focused on transcoding of existing web application interfaces to provide wireless and voice access from Internet enabled phones, PDAs and cellular phones respectively. However, without the appropriate infrastructure, these applications do not provide a truly productive experience for mobile professionals. Mobile users are still forced, using this approach, to navigate between multiple applications, which, results in excessive data entry and a time consuming, frustrating user experience.
Both solutions have evolved primarily from a one-off, custom solution approach, which is expensive on time and resources. In addition, both solutions have focused primarily on wireless access to enterprise data.
Applications such as contact managers, calendars and to-do lists are all in is abundance and widely available from standard web browsers or desktop applications. The challenge is how best to mobilize these, and other enterprise applications, for mobile professionals. To-date, two technology approaches have been taken.
The first generation of vendors approached the need for mobile access to enterprise applications by using synchronization technology to update and download information between the mobile professional""s computing devices (laptop and PDAS) and the enterprise. The problem with this approach is that data is very often obsolete as soon as the device is disconnected.
The second generation of mobilization vendors is trying to take advantage of the exploding mobile data services market by transcoding or translating existing web applications so they are accessible using WAP browsers and voice recognition systems. However, working at the user interface level as opposed to the data source is inefficient, as web layout and HTML are subject to constant change.
Both these approaches serve a purpose. However, the approaches taken by these vendors is simplistic and does not provide the intelligent integration and personalized, contextual workflow needed to meet the requirements of today""s mobile professional and the enterprise that supports them. Specifically, these solutions do not provide the productivity enhancements necessary for mobile professionals, nor, the fast return on investment (ROI) necessary for enterprises.
First generation synchronization technology vendors provide solutions for duplicating and maintaining multiple copies of enterprise data on mobile devices for off-line access. For example, downloading inventory and work schedule information onto a laptop or PDA device. This approach can be a slow and expensive one to implement. In addition, as more real-time information is needed to remain competitive, this approach results in reduced productivity for the mobile professional and low return on investment for the enterprise.
Often synchronization technology does not take advantage of the most ubiquitous device for mobile professionals, the mobile phone. Executives and mobile professionals often prefer voice access to information. Distribution of additional devices such as PDA""s can introduce new administrative costs to the enterprise.
Multiple sets of information exist on different devices e.g. PDA, laptop, and cellular phone. With more than one place to store data, there are often data accuracy issues, which wastes valuable time.
Changes to data, by multiple users, create the potential for duplicate records, adding to the accuracy problem.
Data is rarely accessed in real-time and is, very often, obsolete as soon as you disconnect. Data is only updated when a synchronization event occurs. The result to the mobile professional could be as simple as not having the correct phone number on hand, or as important as not getting a $1 MM sale recognized until the next business day.
Second generation transcoding technology vendors take existing web sites and applications (typically on a one-off, custom basis) and simply translate them from HTML to other markup languages such as WML, HDML and VoiceXML to provide access from telephones, wireless devices or voice recognition systems. This approach is faster and simpler to implement than synchronization technology but still results in reduced productivity for the mobile professional and low return on investment for the enterprise.
Wireless applications need to be re-built when web layout and content changes. This process is very resource intensive and results in high expense for the enterprise, considering the potential number of times a web site changes.
Discrete wireless applications. Data needs to be re-entered across applications. For example, an address is retrieved from a contact manager and then has to be re-entered in order to retrieve directions from a travel application.
Navigational menus are not intelligently integrated into a mobile workflow. For example, after reviewing a customer appointment from the calendar, activity options do not include xe2x80x98go therexe2x80x99, xe2x80x98callxe2x80x99, and xe2x80x98emailxe2x80x99.
Wireless applications need to poll web sites constantly. For the provider, continuous polling of sites is an inefficient and expensive use of resources.
The present invention solves the problem of providing access to vital information for mobile professionals within the enterprise by providing unified access to relevant. More particularly, the present invention provides an application interface to enterprise, personal and public data, accessible in a personalized, contextual workflow via voice, wireless devices and the Web.
The present invention""s open architecture delivers solutions for both mobile client application uses an underlying infrastructure to provide a unified interface to existing enterprise applications such as Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes; personal applications such as contact managers, public Internet applications such as maps, turn-by urn driving directions and proximity searches and communication services such as email, voice activated dialing, remote printing, alerts and notifications. A personalized workflow delivers relevant information, within the context of the current application, via device specific user interfaces for voice, wireless and the Web. This approach provides significant ease of use and productivity benefits to the mobile professional.
The present invention solves the problems described above in the Background of the Invention by providing a mobile data communication system which couples application specific remote data sources and mobile devices via an internet based server. An interface is provided by the server for extracting data from the application specific remote data sources. The extracted data is then generalized into generic objects and presented on the mobile devices by device specific application templates.
The present invention has other objects and advantages which are set forth in the Description of the Best Mode of the Invention. The features and advantages described in the specification, however, are not all inclusive, and particularly, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims herein.